EFFORTS TO CONVERT THE NATIVES. 65 



lords brought voluntarily all their idols, and deliver- 

 ed them to the priests to be burned ;" and, as the 

 best proof of their sincerity, they brought their chil- 

 dren, whom, says the Bishop Las Casas, they cher- 

 ished more than the light of their eyes, to be indoc- 

 trinated and taught. Every day they became more 

 attached to the padres, built them houses to live in, 

 and a temple for worship ; and one thing occurred 

 which had never happened before. Twelve or fif- 

 teen lords, with great territories and many vassals, 

 with the consent of their people, voluntarily ac- 

 knowledged the dominion of the King of Castile. 

 This agreement, under their signs and attested by 

 the monks, the bishop says he had in his possession. 



At this time, when, from such great beginnings, the 

 conversion of the whole kingdom of Yucatan seem- 

 ed almost certain, there happened (to use, as near as 

 possible, the language of the historian) the greatest 

 disaster that the devil, greedy of souls, could desire. 

 Eighteen horsemen and twelve foot-soldiers, fugitives 

 from New Spain, entered the country from some 

 quarter, bringing with them loads of idols, which 

 they had carried off from other provinces. The 

 captain called to him a lord of that part of the coun- 

 try by which he entered, and told him to take the 

 idols and distribute them throughout the country, 

 selling each one for an Indian man or woman to 

 serve as a slave, and adding, that if the lord refused 

 to do so, he would immediately make war upon 

 them. The lord commanded his vassals to take 



Vol. L— I 



